Zetian

ATier

Mobile burst mage whose Celestial Robe stuns anyone who dares get close.

MageMid LaneDeals magic

Zetian is a mid lane mage protected by Celestial Robe, a passive that knocks back and stuns melee enemies who approach while shielding her. Phoenix Strike lets her chain up to three auto-casting waves while moving and casting other skills, and Fury of the Phoenix channels a team-wide Movement Speed buff and stun that she can weave other skills into.

Difficulty: Hard
Specialities: DamageCrowd Control

Chaining Phoenix Strike's auto-cast waves into Phoenix Descent's charge-and-slam while managing Celestial Robe's passive timing takes real combo practice.

Beaten by: 104 hard
Strong into: 1
Best duos: 8
Builds: 2

At a glance

Damage	8 of 10
Durability	4 of 10
Crowd Control	6 of 10
Mobility	6 of 10
Utility	5 of 10

Rated against the whole roster, not against their own class.

When Zetian is strong

Attributes

Damage: 8
Durability: 4
Crowd Control: 6
Mobility: 6
Utility: 5

Strengths

Celestial Robe automatically knocks back and stuns any melee enemy who gets close, punishing dives for free
Phoenix Strike lets her cast other skills and move while its three waves chain automatically
Fury of the Phoenix can be channeled while casting other skills, layering a team-wide buff with more damage
Phoenix Descent's magic-defense shred sets up her own follow-up skills for extra burst

Weaknesses

Celestial Robe's stun has a cooldown, so a second melee diver right after it triggers goes unpunished
Phoenix Strike's chain only continues on a hit — missing the first wave stops the whole combo
Fury of the Phoenix's channel telegraphs her position and ultimate cooldown to the entire enemy team
Squishy outside of Celestial Robe's shield window, especially against burst that lands before it procs

Skills

Max Phoenix Strike first for damage and mobility, level Phoenix Descent second for the slow and defense shred, and take Fury of the Phoenix at 4, 8 and 12.

Passive

Celestial Armament

ShieldCC

Phoenix Crown: When Zetian hits enemy heroes with Phoenix Strike or Phoenix Descent, she gains 0.5% Spell Vamp for 5s, stacking up to 10 times. Celestial Robe: The power of the Phoenix periodically protects Zetian, knocking back and stunning any enemy hero who dares approach her while dealing 90 (+10*Hero Level) (+50% Total Magic Power) Magic Damage to them. She also gains a 300 (+20*Hero Level) (+50% Total Magic Power) Shield that lasts 3s.

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Always active — no cooldown

Skill 1

Phoenix Strike

DamageSpeed Up

Zetian unleashes a Phoenix Wave in the target direction. If it hits an enemy, she automatically casts another wave, up to 3 times. While casting, Zetian can move with 10% increased Movement Speed and can use other skills. The three Phoenix Waves deal 185 (+30% Total Magic Power) Magic Damage/185 (+50% Total Magic Power) Magic Damage/330 (+70% Total Magic Power) Magic Damage, respectively.

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Cooldown: 7s
Mana: 70 → 120
Spell vamp: 100%

Skill 2

Phoenix Descent

SlowDebuff

Zetian summons a Phoenix Spirit at the target location, dealing 150 (+30% Total Magic Power) Magic Damage and applying a 50% Slow Effect to enemies in the area. The Phoenix Spirit hovers at the location for 3s, dealing 20 (+10% Total Magic Power) Magic Damage every 0.5s and reducing enemies' Magic Defense by 10%.

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Cooldown: 15s
Mana: 80 → 130
Spell vamp: 50%

Ultimate

Fury of the Phoenix

CCDamage

Zetian calls upon her divine mandate and the hearts of her people, granting all allied heroes 60% Movement Speed that gradually decays over 3s, while bringing divine retribution upon all enemy heroes, dealing 400 (+100% Total Magic Power) Magic Damage and stunning them for 1s. Zetian gains vision of all enemy heroes during this time. Zetian can cast other skills while channeling this skill.

Cooldown: 90s
Mana: 150 → 210
Spell vamp: 50%

Signature combo

Phoenix Descent to slow and shred magic defense → Phoenix Strike's chained waves for burst → Fury of the Phoenix to stun and finish while casting a follow-up skill mid-channel.

Zetian builds

Core items in buy order, with the emblem, talents and battle spell that go with them.

Burst Combo Mage

7,840g total

Default pick for mid lane poke and picking off targets before a teamfight.

Emblem

Mage

T1Inspire
T2Weapons Master
T3Lethal Ignition

Battle spell

Flicker120s CD

The 'Flicker combo' — blinking in right as a hook or stun lands, or blinking out the instant an enemy ultimate is cast — is the single most common high-elo outplay moment in the game.

Swap in when needed

Glowing Wand — Against sustain or lifesteal heroes — Scorch's burn and Lifebane cut healing while adding damage over time.
Ice Queen Wand — Versus mobile divers who get past Celestial Robe's stun window — the stacking slow keeps them at range.
Winter Crown — When she's the primary target for assassins — the freeze dodges a lethal combo.

Anti-Tank Sustained Poke

7,560g total

When the enemy stacks magic defense and raw burst stops converting into kills.

Emblem

Mage

T1Inspire
T2Tenacity
T3Lethal Ignition

Battle spell

Sprint100s CD

Unlike Purify, Sprint does nothing against stuns or roots already applied — it only prevents future slows and outruns melee threats, so it's best on heroes who aren't the primary CC target.

Swap in when needed

Genius Wand — Early penetration before enemies have stacked much magic defense.
Clock of Destiny — Extra survivability stacks and a heal-back window during extended poke wars.
Wishing Lantern — Butterfly Goddess deals 8% of the target's current HP, scaling off the frontline's health pool — Divine Glaive in the core is what cuts their magic defense.

Who counters Zetian

The heroes that make this matchup hard, and the mechanic that does it.

Full counter page

Items to build against Zetian

Zetian is strong into

Heroes whose own counter list names Zetian — the same matchup, read from the other side.

TigrealTankHardZetian's passive automatically knocks back and stuns any enemy hero who gets within melee range of her, which punishes the exact approach Tigreal needs to land Sacred Hammer or start his Implosion channel.

Who to pair Zetian with

Duo partners whose kit completes this one.

Playing Zetian well

1
Bait a melee diver into range to trigger Celestial Robe's stun before committing to your own combo
2
Chain Phoenix Strike's waves into Phoenix Descent's slow to guarantee the third, largest wave connects
3
Use Fury of the Phoenix's ability to cast other skills mid-channel to add burst on top of the team buff
4
Reposition constantly with Phoenix Strike's Movement Speed bonus instead of standing still to cast

Zetian — common questions

Is Zetian good for beginners?

Zetian is fairly difficult — her damage depends on chaining Phoenix Strike's waves into her other skills correctly, and Celestial Robe's passive timing takes practice to play around.

What is the best build for Zetian?

A burst magic build with Enchanted Talisman, Lightning Truncheon, and Holy Crystal covers most games, giving cooldown reduction and raw magic power to chain her combo faster.

Which heroes counter Zetian?

Mobile burst heroes like Harith and Claude counter Zetian by closing distance faster than Celestial Robe's stun can reset, since she has limited follow-up defense once it's on cooldown.